Korean Steak Tacos

Koreans celebrate the first one hundred days of life, so for my son, Hudson's, hundredth-day party, we had a bash with lots of Korean food. The next day, with my taste buds toned and thinking of the great Korean tacos I've devoured at food trucks in Los Angeles, I created this version. The marinade for the steak is to die for. I guarantee you'll want to try it with Korean-style short ribs, pork tenderloin, and grilled chicken.

A little planning and prep a day ahead is a great way to save time on hurried weeknights. This steak gets even better with an overnight marinade, so you could marinate it on Monday, and it's ready to grill on Tuesday night. If you're doing it all on the same night, use the marinating time to multitask—prep your vegetables and whip up the guacamole. You'll be surprised how quickly it comes together.

Preparation

1. To marinate the steak: In a large baking dish, whisk the cilantro, brown sugar, canola oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, jalapeños, black pepper, and coriander to blend well. Reserve 1/4 cup of the mixture in a small bowl for serving. Place the steak in the remaining marinade and turn to coat. Marinate for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate the reserved marinade.

2. Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high cooking over direct heat.

3. Remove the steak from the marinade (discard the marinade) and grill, turning halfway through cooking, for a total of about 10 minutes, until the meat feels only slightly resilient when pressed with a fingertip for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the tacos: In a large bowl, toss the cabbage, carrots, scallions, and cilantro together.

5. Heat the tortillas on the grill, turning occasionally, for about 1 minute, or until hot. Transfer to a serving bowl and cover to keep warm.

6. To serve: Cut the steak across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer the steak slices and any carving juices to a platter. Serve the steak with the reserved marinade, tortillas, cabbage mixture, and guacamole. Let each guest fill two tortillas with some steak and cabbage mixture and top with some of the marinade and guacamole.

CURTIS STONE is the author of five cookbooks and the host of Top Chef Masters on Bravo. He is also the creator of Kitchen Solutions, a sleek line of cookware sold in retailers worldwide, and writes a monthly column for Men's Fitness. Born in Melbourne, Australia, Stone honed his skills in London at Café Royal, under legendary three-star Michelin chef Marco Pierre White, and at Mirabelle and the revered Quo Vadis. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

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Recent Review

This is super delicious. We marinated a slightly larger steak in 2X the marinade for about 2 days in the fridge due to being busy. It wasn't spicy at all though IMHO, I might try to kick up the hotness next time I make it, but I'll definitely make again. Didn't really need the extra reserved sauce, it was flavorful already. Instead of the slaw we used red peppers and chives we had already. The guac recipe was good, too!